Range Resources has their 2009 production, reserves and drilling activity posted on the web. Their production increased 13% and their proved reserves were up by 18% with a leasehold position of 2.5 million net acres.
Monthly Archives: February 2010
Range Resources 2009 Production and Reserves Up
Major Oil Companies Looking for Shale Gas in Europe
An article on The Vancouver Sun website explains how most of the major oil companies are looking for shale gas in Europe. A big problem is that there are currently very few rigs there.
Utica Shale Gas Play in Quebec
An article on TheGlobeAndMail website reports on early results in the Utica Shale Gas Play in Quebec, Canada which could contain 20 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
The “Natural Gas Act” Promotes Use as a Transportation Fuel
The Houston Chronicle reports on the “Natural Gas Act” – legislation that could expand the use of natural gas as a transportation fuel by providing tax incentives for natural gas vehicles and refueling stations. Versions of the bill are in the House and Senate.
The Duvernay Gas Play
An article in The Vancouver Sun reports on a Canadian shale gas play known as the “Duvernay” that is expected to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in auction revenues to the Province of Alberta.
Huge LNG Terminals To Ship in 2014
In addition to the large amount of natural gas being produced from shale several huge LNG projects expected to ship their first gas in 2014 and 2016. More in an article on the Gerson Lehrman Group website.
More Inspectors and Higher Fees in Pennsylvania
An article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources is going to increase the number of inspectors assigned to oversee natural gas drilling by 50%. Fees paid by companies who want to drill in the state will also be will also be significantly increased.
Storing Pennsylvania Hydrofrack Water in New York?
An article on the Syracuse.com website reports that Chesapeake Energy wants to store 663 million (??) gallons of hydrofrack water produced in Pennsylvania in a well about a mile from Keuka Lake.
| Storing Hydrofracking Wastewater near Keuka Lake |
House Commerce and Energy Committee on Hydraulic Fracturing Chemicals
The House Commerce and Energy Committee is writing to oil field service companies to get information on the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing and environmental impacts. More in an article in the Houston Chronicle.
Asian Countries Investing in Shale Plays
An article on the MSNBC.com website reviews some of the investments that Asian countries are making in natural gas shales – both in the United States and in Asia.
Home Rule and Natural Gas Drilling
Calvin Tillman, the Mayor of Dish, Texas gave a two hour presentation on how to prevent the harmful effects of natural gas drilling at the Elmira Heights Theater in Elmira Heights, New York. He encouraged local officials to “take control” of what happens in their jurisdiction. More at The Online Leader.
New York and Hydrofracking Waste Water
Drilling and hydrofracking a well in one of the natural gas plays such as the Marcellus or Haynesville requires at least a million gallons of water with chemical additives and will become salty when it comes in contact with subsurface brines. An article on the Reuters website explores this problem in New York.
LNG Imports
Imports of LNG to the continental United States rose 29 percent or 100 Bcf in 2009 to a total of 452 Bcf, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy. Five countries supplied U.S. LNG imports during the year: Egypt, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, Norway, and Qatar. More…
Bloom Box – A Natural Gas Fuel Cell?
Bloom Energy is introducing a new invention called the “Bloom Box”. It is a solid-oxide fuel cell capable of running on biomass or natural gas. A few are already in the field. More on the VentureBeat website.
Shale as a Long-Term Income Stream
An article in the Houston Chronicle explores why major oil companies have taken an interest in natural gas shales. Part of the reason is that the resource has a long lifetime.
Property Owner’s Rights in New York
Most of the publicity about natural gas drilling in New York has focused on environmental concerns and limiting resource development. A recent assembly of people in Binghamton focused on the rights of property owners to benefit from their resource. More in an article on Reuters.com.
Russia: Coal-Bed Methane Resources
Russia has an estimated 87 trillion cubic meters of coal-bed methane distributed through coal seams in many parts of the country. Gasprom has a plan to produce 1.5 billion cubic meters of methane in 2012 from coal seams in Siberia. Gasprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the Russian government holds a controlling interest in the company. More in an article in The Moscow Times.
Coal Companies May Start Drilling Natural Gas
The demand for coal could suffer significantly as climate change efforts look for cleaner energy production. Now some coal companies with significant mineral rights holdings are starting to consider going into the natural gas business. More in a Washington Post article.
Gazprom Exec: Shale Gas Development Endangers Drinking Water
An executive of Gazprom, the largest producer of natural gas in the world, says it is “unimaginable” that Europe will allow the development of its shale gas resources because of concerns with water supply contamination. More in an article in The Telegraph.
LNG and Horizontal Fracking are Monumental Energy Shifts
In an article on the Journal of American Enterprise Institute website, Max Schultz, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute argues that new methods for producing natural gas (horizontal fracking) and new methods to distribute the gas (LNG) are going to transform the use of energy worldwide.
Severance Tax on Pennsylvania Natural Gas
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is looking to the Marcellus Shale for revenues and lawmakers are considering a severance tax on natural gas. The gas companies say that a tax would slow development of the resource. More in an article on the Reuters website.
Shale Gas – An Environmental Quandary
An article on the Boston.com website explores the quandary that natural gas shales present: developing them has environmental risk but replacing other fossil fuels with them has environmental advantages. How do they sit on the balance?
Safe and Environmentally Responsible Natural Gas Production
The Houston Chronicle website reports on comments made by oil and gas company leaders at a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. The comments were consistent… Natural gas can be produced in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.
Developing Shale Plays Outside of the US Will Be Difficult
An article on the Reuters website quotes Aubrey McClendon making an argument that developing shale plays outside of the United States will be difficult.
Will Shale Cause a Worldwide Natural Gas Glut?
With the number of large companies taking stakes in the United States shale gas plays will a glut of natural gas develop? An article on the Reuters website reports that Aubrey McClendon, CEO of Chesapeake Energy, says he does not see the world swamped with natural gas.
TransCanada Natural Gas Pipeline – Still Needed?
An article on the Reuters website argues that the TransCanada Pipeline will still be need – after several major US gas plays are rapidly being developed.
Conasauga Formation Shale Gas Play
From the Alabama Geological Survey’s Conasauga Formation Shale Gas Play website.: “The Conasauga Shale Gas Pool should initially be defined as that interval of the Conasauga Shale productive of hydrocarbons between 1,946 feet and 6,944 feet as indicated on the Array Induction-GR Density-APS log of the Dominion Black Warrior Basin, Inc. Newman 27-07-06 Well, Permit No. 14495 including those strata productive of hydrocarbons which can be correlated therewith, and all zones in communication therewith, and productive extensions thereof. However, the upper and lower productive limits of the Conasauga Shale Gas Pool in the proposed field have yet to be fully defined. Said pool constitutes a separate and distinct gas producing pool in said field, separate and distinct from any other producing pool in said field.”
Alabama Gas Shale Research at AGS
From the Alabama Geological Survey website: “To assist in the development of emerging gas shale plays in Alabama, the Geological Survey of Alabama is conducting a three-year study on the geology and development potential of gas shale in the Black Warrior basin and Appalachian thrust belt of Alabama. These areas contain a diversity of emerging gas shale plays in Cambrian through Mississippian strata.”
Pennsylvania Legislators: Step on the Gas or the Brake?
Some legislators in Harrisburg are trying to raise more revenue from the Marcellus Shale while others are trying to put on the brakes to reduce environmental impacts. More in an article at Philly.com.
Foul Byproducts of Natural Gas
An AP article in the Charleston Daily Mail says that “gas drilling in Appalachia yields a foul byproduct” – in reference to the wastewater associated with hydraulic fracturing.
